WWII on the Homefront

Determining War Strategy Many Americans only goal was to get revenge on Japan Despite this, in the ABC-1 Agreement, US agreed to “Beat Hitler First” strategy Knew we could never win war unless defeated Hitler Sent most troops to Europe, just enough to Pacific to stop Japanese offense

The Importance of Time US had to build up wartime economy quickly, since Britain and USSR fighting alone and weak US had great potential in terms of military and production, but it needed time to build up both

The fear of “enemy aliens” Public rallied behind WWII like never before Many feared that immigrant groups were not unified with allied cause and were actually enemy agents Germans and Italians: forced to move away from military bases, dealt with curfews, often jailed as spies without proof

Japanese Internment Executive Order 9066: Ordered all Japanese- Americans on West Coast, regardless of age, birthplace of gender, into internment camps for duration of war. Deprived Japanese of essential rights, many lost all life savings when had to pack up to go to camps Korematsu v. US: Upheld internment as necessary 1988: US officially apologized and paid $20,000 in reparations

Mobilizing the Economy for War Wartime production officially ended the Depression War Production Board: Established to coordinate production of war materials Halted production of nonessential materials Imposed national speed limit to conserve rubber

Mobilizing the Economy for War ctnd. Office of Price Administration: To curb wartime inflation Set price ceilings Established rationing of critical goods (meat, butter) National War Labor Board: To keep workers in factories Imposed ceilings on wage increases Required 30 days notice before strike Many unhappy workers still went on strike

Building up troops 15 million men and 250,000 women enlisted Women in non-combat positions WAACs (army), WAVES (navy) To keep production going, certain groups of workers eliminated from draft Still, drain on agricultural workers led government to create bracero program with Mexico.

Women in WWII Benefited from huge demand for labor because of wartime production Many American women entered workforce for first time “Rosie the Riveter”—icon of women worker Women told it was their patriotic duty to work Over 6 million women entered the workforce Women who worked before the war were able to get better paying jobs when war began

Did Women’s Roles Really Change? Men continued to dominate supervisory positions Women still paid less WOMEN FORCED OUT OF THE WORKFORCE AT THE END OF THE WAR! 1950s: Women return role of housewives in suburbs Women veterans were not recognized for benefits until 1979.

Wartime Migrations Many moved into new boomtowns: Los Angeles, Detroit, Seattle Federal government gave most defense contracts to South Increased population in region known as “Sunbelt”

Race in World War II Racism in military Soldiers of color enlisted, but in segregated units Many of these units were the most decorated of the war African-Americans: Tuskegee Airmen Mexican-Americans: Company E of the 141 st Regiment Japanese Americans: 442 nd Regimental Combat Team Native-Americans: Served in Marine Corps as Navajo Code Talkers

African-Americans During War Double Victory campaign: Victory against dictators abroad, and racism at home Some victories: more job opportunities, increased migration to North and West (esp. CA) Still, much racism: blacks paid less, discriminated in housing, in public facilities

African-American Resistance Blacks begin organizing: 1941: A. Philip Randolph threatened to march on Washington to protest prejudice against African- American workers In response to threat, Roosevelt banned discrimination in government agencies. Established the Fair Employment Practices Commission to insure equal treatment for African- Americans and other minorities in war industries. Still, results limited. When GIs returned, blacks still first to lose jobs. All of this is an important precedent to Civil Rights movement.

Racial Tensions in LA during WWII Racism against Mexican Americans and the fear of teen crime Mexican American teenagers who wore “zoot suits” were targeted. June 1943: 2500 soldiers and sailors attacked Mexican American neighborhoods in LA

WWII a Benefit for US Unlike rest of world economies, US’ actually grows during and after WWII Government worked more directly to regulate the economy than ever before! Official end to Depression Postwar economy will continue to depend on military spending. Despite higher taxes, national debt rose to new levels. War cost $10 million an hour